Air pollution and lead poisoning have killed nearly nine million people each year since 2015
A new study by the ” The Lancet Comissions ” on Pollution and Health found that rising air pollution and lead poisoning have killed nearly nine million people yearly since 2015. About three-quarters of them have died due to air pollution.
The study, published in the online world renewed journal “The Lancet Planetary Health,” found that one in eight people worldwide would die from pollution in 2019. This rate is higher than the annual global deaths due to war, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, or drugs. CNN has informed the news.
The report further said that the death rate due to pollution has increased by 66 percent in the last two decades. Unplanned urbanization, population growth, and dependence on fossil fuels are the reasons behind this.
Richard Fuller, the lead author of the study, said, “These impacts are seen in low and middle-income countries. Despite its vast health, social and economic implications, pollution prevention gets neglected on the international development agenda.”
According to the Lancet Commission, water pollution was the most severe threat after air pollution in 2019. Water pollution caused 1.36 million premature deaths in 2019. Lead poisoning was the next leading cause of death.
According to research, 90 percent of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries that cannot prioritize pollution.
According to Reuters, most of the ten countries with the highest number of pollution deaths are in Africa: Chad, Central African Republic, Niger, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, North Korea, Lesotho, Bulgaria, and Burkina Faso. Besides, India was at the top of the list of deaths due to air pollution in 2019.
According to Reuters, scientists’ analysis of data on global mortality and pollution levels has shown that urbanization, including industrial production processes, has led to a 7 percent increase in air pollution deaths from 2015 to 2019.
Earlier in 2017, the initial version of the same study was published. It also said that about 9 million people die every year due to pollution.
This means that pollution is the cause of death for one in every six people. As a result, the global economy is losing 4.6 trillion US dollars every year. For the latest study, researchers analyzed data from 2019.
